Pike BOE Made the Right Decision
Editorial
October 30, 2006

Winning an election - especially on the local level - means winning the right to make really tough, often painful decisions.

The Pike County Board of Education had to make one of those decisions recently, and we applaud them for doing the right thing.

Board members voted to sell the former Lookout Elementary School building to WestCare, an organization that plans to open a residential treatment facility for women.

This was a tough decision because of the 820 people who signed a petition to reopen Lookout Elementary School, and who were upset when the school closed.

We have a lot of sympathy for those parents.

But in the end, the school board did the right thing by selling the school.

First, because the school system is in financial straits, and simply doesn't have the money to keep the school open. They did what is best for property owners and taxpayers.

But also because Pike County - indeed, all of Eastern Kentucky - is in desperate need for drug treatment programs.

We all know the drug problem in this area is out of control. Police are doing the best they can, with the help of groups like UNITE, but simply arresting people isn't the answer. Arrests and sentences must be coupled with treatment programs for a truly effective solution.

Also, we applaud the plans for the Lookout building. Jennifer Noland, WestCare's regional vice president, said women will be permitted to stay at the 90-day treatment facility with their children.

Noland said WestCare programs for women in Florida and Nevada have a high success rate because women are more willing to go into to treatment and more motivated to do well when their children are with them. The women, she said, will also take parenting classes.

People commended WestCare during the grand opening of the organization's Ashcamp facility, Noland said, but so many of them asked, "When will you open a center for women?"

"We're all about keeping the family unit together when it's the right thing to do," she said. "It does no good for us to treat the male when he goes home to a wife that may potentially have a substance abuse problem."

There are few residential treatment facilities for women in the state, and most centers have 60- to 90-day waiting lists.

That's why Pike County's center will be such a great asset.

We know it was tough, but the school board did just what we elected them too - make the tough decisions with the best interests of the county in mind.